Latvia's military said it has witnessed an "aggressive provocation" by several individuals along its border with Belarus; several armed men reportedly threatened border guards while a group of migrants attempted to enter the EU country irregularly. Tensions remain high along Europe's eastern borders with Belarus and Russia.
On October 5, three armed men wearing masks were seen accompanying a group of at least 20 irregular migrants to the border of Belarus and Latvia, threatening the soldiers patrolling the area with violence, stated the Latvian authorities.
Border guards said it appeared that the men had handguns and other small weapons on them, using them not only to intimidate them but also to pressure the migrants to move closer to the border fortification.
Guntis Pujats, the head of the Latvian Border Guard, later said that these escorts were thought to be members of organized crime gangs engaged in facilitating irregular migrant journeys rather than Belarusian state agents; however, much about the incident remains unclear at this point.
Interior Minister Janis Dombrava told reporters that the masked individuals remained on their side of the border during the initial incident.
Dombrava added on X that he would seek legislation to give the border guards of his country more powers to intervene in the face of such threats.
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It was later found that the men had illegally entered Latvia several hours later to damage equipment used to monitor movements of irregular migrants along the border of the two states.
The cross-border intruders were reported to have quickly escaped back into Belarus before being detected.
Latvian authorities said the surveillance equipment would be restored immediately.
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'Hybrid' warfare
Dombrava added that such events could have "serious consequences" for Belarus if found to be directly linked to the government in Minsk.
Latvia has accused Belarus of using irregular migration to weaken its defenses and threaten the integrity of its borders for the past five years — a view supported by the European Union.
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According to EU officials, Belarus' attempts to smuggle people into the bloc is an extension of what it refers to as a "hybrid" form of warfare; the EU says that Belarus is acting on the behest of Russia, with which the East European country is closely aligned.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there have been an increasing number of such crossing attempts not only along Latvia's borders but also along those of neighboring Lithuania and Poland.
Tensions along all borders with Belarus, and indeed Russia, remain high, as EU officials say that Russia's behavior and moves towards Europe are becoming increasingly belligerent.
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Thousands of entry attempts each year
To date this year, according to data published by Latvian State Media, nearly 12,000 people have been intercepted along the Belarus-Latvia border during irregular crossing attempts.
This compares to 12,046 such attempts during all of last year, indicating that by the end of the year, the number of total attempts could be greater than they were in 2025.
In 2024, the intercepted crossings amounted to fewer than half the number measured in 2025, pointing at increasingly more aggressive tactics being employed by Minsk.
In response, Latvia has enhanced its fortifications all along the border with Belarus, with Lithuania and Poland also following suit.
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